To Fight Climate and Road Safety Crises, Sens. Markey, Van Hollen and Reps. Pappas, Huffman Call on DOT to Fully Fund Active Transportation Program

Last year, lawmakers successfully secured inaugural funding for federal program that supports safe, accessible biking and walking infrastructure across U.S.

February 01, 2023

Washington (February 1, 2023) – Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today sent a letter to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg requesting the Biden administration fully fund DOT’s Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) in its fiscal 2024 and 2025 budgets. The ATIIP, which provides grants to states and localities to develop and connect active transportation infrastructure, such as bike paths and walking trails, received $45 million in the end-of-year spending package last December. In their letter, the lawmakers call on DOT to fund the program with at least $200 million a year – its authorized level under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – to fight climate change and curtail the road safety crisis.

“Active transportation infrastructure […] encourages individuals to adopt more affordable, healthier, and cleaner forms of transportation such as walking and biking, keeping their carbon-belching cars parked at home. These investments are particularly important because the transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Secretary Buttigieg. “Active transportation investments are also important for reversing the alarming increase in motor vehicle deaths, which have disproportionately impacted individuals outside of vehicles.

“Finally, active transportation networks will make our transportation system more equitable by providing affordable and accessible transportation options for the millions of U.S. households that do not own a car,” the lawmakers wrote. “The ATIIP is thus uniquely positioned to advance the Biden administration’s transportation goals and create the foundation for a cleaner, healthier, safer, and more equitable transportation system. […] To fully deliver on the ATIIP’s promises, we urge DOT to fund the ATIIP with at least $200 million per year in its fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 budgets.”

Senator Markey and his colleagues have led the effort in Congress to support safer and more accessible active transportation infrastructure, including:

  1. Earlier this month, Senators Markey and Van Hollen celebrated their successful efforts to secure $45 million in funding for the ATIIP through the fiscal 2023 omnibus.
  2. In May 2022, Senators Markey and Van Hollen, alongside Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), led 19 of their colleagues in a letter to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development requesting full funding for the ATIIP.
  3. In February 2022, Senators Markey and Van Hollen and Representatives Pappas and Huffman sent a letter to Biden administration officials requesting full funding for the ATIIP.
  4. In February 2021, Senators Markey, Van Hollen and Sullivan introduced the Connecting America’s Active Transportation System Act, legislation that would allocate $500 million annually for grants to states and localities to connect walking and biking infrastructure into active transportation networks.